


To Build a Road (that leads to your heart)

by starkerscoop



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Engineer Peter Parker, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Pining Tony Stark, he's a little dumb for a genius just give him some time, tony is falling in love but mistakes it for being sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:47:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26522395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starkerscoop/pseuds/starkerscoop
Summary: “Yeah, well, this is Peter. Everything is different with him.” Tony chewed on his lip roughly, “What is wrong with me? Thinking about him makes me feel sick -- but in a good way. This is bullshit. Feeling sick shouldn’t feel good, FRIDAY. That’s not normal.”“You’ve never been normal, Boss. If I may... I think you’re in love.”
Relationships: Peter Parker/Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 186





	To Build a Road (that leads to your heart)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Peter is an engineer that works with tony and the Avengers. Tony finds falling for his cute engineer. request!

“Are you sure we can trust him with Avengers tech?” Natasha asked again. 

Tony sighed frustratedly. “For the millionth time, yes. I ran a very thorough background check. Do you think I’d let just anyone handle my tech?”

“I’m serious. Do you have a failsafe in case he goes rogue?” She prodded. 

Tony tried to ignore the irony in that statement. “Anything I make is set to self-destruct whenever I need it to.” 

Steve spoke up then, “Is that safe? What if it does that while we’re wearing it?” 

“The amount of faith you have in me is astounding. If you don’t want to use what I make, I won’t force you. The self-destruct protocol is non-negotiable.” Tony snapped.

“Guys, shut up. He’s coming.” Sam jutted his chin in the direction of the window. 

A young man, seemingly in his twenties, was walking up the driveway to the compound. He had a blinding grin on his face and was chattering excitedly into the phone pressed against his ear. When he reached the front doors, he hung up the phone, took a deep breath, and entered the building. 

A few minutes later, he was knocking tentatively on the door of the conference room. Steve got up and let him in, ushering him into the chair closest to the front, where they would all have a good view of him. 

“Hi. I’m Peter Parker.” The brunet said breathlessly, eyes darting around the room in awe.

“I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess that we don’t need to introduce ourselves to you.” Clint leaned back against his chair, propping up his feet on the table. 

Natasha kicked them off. “We’re going to put you through a series of tests and see if you’re competent enough for this job.”

“Correction,” Tony cut in, “I’m going to take you to the lab and put you through a series of tests. The rest of them will scatter.” 

“Tony, we should be involved.” Steve admonished.

“Seeing as I’m the only one who knows anything about engineering -- no, you shouldn’t be.” Tony pursed his lips.

Peter glanced between them hesitantly, “Um, no offense Mr. Rogers, but Mr. Stark is right.” 

“You’re hired.” Tony said automatically, clapping him on the shoulder and pulling him up in one swoop.

Natasha groaned, massaging her forehead harshly. “Typical.” 

“Let’s go, kid. You’ve still gotta wow me if you want to be in the same room as the Iron Man suit.” Tony nudged him towards the door, striding out briskly before he could register the touch. 

“I get to see the Iron Man armor?” Peter gasped gleefully, following at Tony’s heels. 

“No. You’re only here to feed my ego and get me coffee.” Tony snorted. 

Peter’s eyebrows furrowed, and he stopped in his tracks, turning to face the Avengers, “Was he joking...? Guys?”

Peter passed his tests with flying colors, and Tony welcomed him into his workshop with open arms. Having someone to bounce ideas off of was something Tony had grown unaccustomed to ever since Bruce disappeared, but he quickly grew used to Peter’s lively presence. The younger man would regale him with tales of whatever had mortified him in the past week; Peter, Tony found, got embarrassed easily. The only time he was even remotely confident was when they were buried in work -- yet Tony found himself reveling in how delightfully red Peter’s face grew, and would search for ways to send blood rushing to his cheeks. 

As Peter gradually got more comfortable with him, Tony realized that the only way left to make him blush was to flirt with him. He was more than okay with doing it, but when Peter started shyly reciprocating, he panicked and left the country. Claiming to have a meeting in Japan, he jumped into his jet and took off. He stayed there for two weeks, forcing himself to be mature for once in his life, and thought about what the hell he was doing with Peter. Peter didn’t deserve to be played with simply because Tony liked to watch him trip over his words -- which, why did he like that so much? Why did he crave his admiration? His approval?

“Is Peter involved with anyone?” Tony asked suddenly. 

FRIDAY hesitated. “I’m not sure I know what you mean, Boss.” 

“Romantically involved. Is he fooling around? In a relationship?” 

FRIDAY hummed apologetically. “His social media accounts don’t reveal any answers. Would you like me to search through his texts and phone contacts?”

“No,” Tony sighed, shoulders slumping tiredly, “That would be an invasion of privacy.” 

“That didn’t stop you before.” FRIDAY pointed out. 

“Yeah, well, this is Peter. Everything is different with him.” Tony chewed on his lip roughly, “What is wrong with me? Thinking about him makes me feel sick -- but in a good way. This is bullshit. Feeling sick shouldn’t feel good, FRIDAY. That’s not normal.” 

“You’ve never been normal, Boss. If I may... I think you’re in love.” 

Tony burst out in laughter. “In love? FRI, baby, I thought I raised you to be smart.” 

“You are in love,” FRIDAY said stubbornly, “Your symptoms match those that come with it. When around Peter, your heartrate is elevated, and your palms secrete more sweat than they usually do. It matters to you whether he’s romantically involved with anyone or not. Would you like me to continue?” 

Tony gaped at the ceiling of his hotel room. “You sneak. Why are you keeping track of all this?” 

“My primary function is caring for your wellbeing and keeping you safe. With your vitals fluctuating, I was concerned, until I realized that you were simply falling in love.” FRIDAY answered smoothly. 

“Stop saying that,” Tony complained, “I’m not in love. I’m not even in like.” 

FRIDAY sighed, and Tony took a moment to wonder how he’d managed to make her so sentient. “So it wouldn’t bother you if I informed you of Peter’s relationship?” 

“Peter’s in a relationship?” Tony sat up swiftly, chest starting to throb. For unrelated reasons. Obviously. 

“No,” FRIDAY said smugly, “But there’s your confirmation. You’re in love, Boss.” 

“FRIDAY.” Tony grouched. 

FRIDAY paused. “I suggest speaking to him about it. His symptoms are similar to yours when he’s with you.”

“You know what? Fine. If this goes badly, and I never see him again, I’ll be dismantling you.” Tony snarked, whipping out his phone and pulling up Peter’s contact, not allowing himself any time for doubt. 

_Tony: Go out with me. Please._

_Tony: I said please, so... you know I’m being serious. You should feel special. I never say please._

_Peter: Only on one condition._

_Tony: Name your price._

_Peter: You stop hiding in Japan and come home. I’m not having some kind of online date, or whatever it is that you had in mind._

_Tony: Tony Stark doesn’t hide. I told you, I had a few meetings here._

_Peter: Oh? That’s not what Pepper said._

_Tony: Is this what betrayal feels like? Fine, I was hiding. I’ll be home in tw_ o _days_.

_Peter: I’ll be ready. ;)_

“That was easier than expected.” Tony blew out a long breath, falling onto his side and muffling his relieved laughter in the pillow cushioning his head. 

“Is my life no longer at risk?” FRIDAY asked amusedly. 

Tony smiled, eyes shining. “I’ll spare you just this once.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm cross-posting this; it was posted on tumblr a couple of months ago.


End file.
